Makray Memorial Golf Club

We celebrated our marriage with friends and family at Makray Memorial Golf Club on October 1, 2022 and it was an absolute dream! Our theme was “Autumn in the Mountains;” commemorating where my husband and I met, lived, adventured, and fell in love out West in Colorado. I have included a detailed venue review below, but if you are looking for the condensed version…I highly, highly, highly recommend this amazing venue with its impeccable service, exquisite food, gorgeous surroundings, and the creation of memories that will last a lifetime.
Venue Team
The dynamic duo of Leeza and Laurie (L&L) were the best to work with – they were exceptionally professional yet easygoing and went so above and beyond their titles of Catering Sales Manager and Manager of Banquet Sales, respectively. From the initial tour in early 2021 all the way through our last dance on 10.1.22, L&L treated my family and I with respect, sincerity, humor (lots of perfectly timed “dad” jokes), and transparency. I worked directly with the duo on each aspect and detail in the planning process from inception to execution. I live out of state, so communication was very important to me when selecting a venue, and L&L were always available with timely emails and phone calls. They were our contacts throughout the entire experience, including our “I Do” day. We did not hire an external wedding coordinator or day-of coordinator as L&L superbly provide that service as well (included in the “package”). I cannot write enough accolades to express how seamless and stress-free L&L made our entire experience…seriously the BEST duo to work with and I am so grateful they were the two on this wedding planning journey with me!
Onto the banquet staff. Two words…absolute pros! The entire team was efficient, skilled, and kind. This well-functioning and professional team had zero issues with service and many of my guests commented on how they felt so well taken care of by the team, especially my guests with special dietary needs. The bartenders were swift and friendly, and my guests experienced little to no wait times for drinks. We even had a guest unknowingly leave her phone on the balcony at the end of the night, and a banquet staff member found it and ran it outside to her before she left. The entire team went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful experience.
Venue
I would describe Makray as the perfect blend of mini castle and elegant ski chalet. From the stunning stone vine-covered exterior, to the classic and cozy interior with modern upgrades, this venue is an absolute dream for many different aesthetics. The comprehensive venue package included the gorgeous ballroom with newly renovated balcony, refinished dance floor (which is huge and a beautiful dark stained wood), two built in bar stations with access via ballroom and pre-function space, round and rectangular tables, banquet chairs (can upgrade for Chivari however the “in-house” chairs were much nicer than other venues I toured, did not look like office chairs, were comfortable, and the dark green padding even blended nicely with my color palette), conveniently located bridal suite, elegant grand stairway, intimate pre-function space with beautiful wood floors at the top of the stairway featuring a fireplace and piano nook, elevator, plenty of parking, and so much more!
There were 2 outdoor ceremony sites to choose from, both offering stunning and magazine-worthy backdrops. We elected for the “Lake Site”, and it did not disappoint. The more intimate of the 2 sites, it was a bit of a longer stroll from the building, however the venue provided a golf cart/driver to assist guests if needed (this came in handy with elderly attendees). The grounds were immaculate and well-maintained, and the backdrop to our ceremony included the lake and lovely tall rye grass (perfect for our fall themed wedding). Included in our package was a guided golf cart tour to the wooden bridge on the course for photos with our entire wedding party.
Food and Drink
My husband and I are total foodies, so this was an important consideration for our venue selection. Makray has amazing food and drink options. Chef John Hennessey elevates the typical wedding food offerings and provides innovative elements to each dish. This humble and talented Chef has many career accolades and experiences, my favorite being his time spent as team chef for the Chicago Cubs!
Our first experience with the cuisine was at our tasting which included SO MUCH FOOD. The tasting was not a separate cost as it was all included in our package, and we were able to adequately taste all options we considered for our day. My parents, sister and bridesmaid accompanied my husband and I, and the entire experience lasted a few hours. We never felt rushed by Leeza or Chef, and they paired the tasting with marking items off the planning checklist such as linens, timeline, etc. We had several options to try for each course which included a soup, salad, and entrée. Our cake was also included in the package; however, it was provided through Lovin Oven Bakery, a local establishment that provided a separate tasting experience.
Each course at Makray was customizable, for example Chef and Leeza suggested an off-menu pomegranate vinaigrette for our salad instead of the raspberry vinaigrette to better harmonize with our overall menu. For our main entrée, we could select the combination of meat, starch, vegetable, and sauce that we wanted, and after tasting the wide-variety of options, we elected for the chicken piccata with angel hair pasta (with Romano cheese, fresh basil, and oregano), honey dill carrots (which were an off-menu creation of Chef’s that he came up with the day before our tasting!), and lemon caper butter sauce. This paired exceptionally with our tomato bisque soup and club house salad of field greens, pomegranate vinaigrette, candied walnuts, Gorgonzola cheese, and sliced apples.
We also elected to upgrade our package to include passed hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hour, a few reception surprise snacks, and a late-night bites. Everything was excellent and our guests raved that the food quality was wonderful!